This invention relates generally to dental instruments for use in facilitated handling of dental prostheses. More particularly, this invention relates to a dental instrument designed for improved handling of fragile dental veneers to permit accurate and reliable veneer fixation in a time-efficient manner.
In recent years, the use of dental veneers has become popular as a cosmetic and/or therapeutic dental restoration. Such dental veneers commonly comprise a thin-walled, generally shieldlike cap member having an external geometry with a color typically selected to match adjacent natural or veneered teeth in the patient's mouth. The thin-walled veneer has an interior convex surface prepared by acid etching or the like for secure bonding onto a patient tooth, the surface of which is similarly prepared, for example, by acid etching. A bonding agent is applied to the veneer-tooth interface to securely hold the veneer in place, whereupon the underlying patient tooth structurally supports the fragile veneer to provide a rugged yet cosmetically attractive restoration. While a variety of veneer materials are known, porcelain materials are used most commonly due to their biological compatibility with the oral environment, color stability, and resistance to abrasion.
Despite the popularity of dental veneers, fitting and fixation of a dental veneer within the mouth of a patient tends to be a difficult and time-consuming procedure. More specifically, the dental veneer must be custom prepared in advance to have an interior surface shaped to match the exterior surface of the prepared patient tooth. To this end, a dental veneer is trial fitted by the dentist onto the patient tooth before application of the bonding agent to assure proper fit, color, and form. However, during this trial fit procedure, the prepared patient tooth must be carefully isolated from the remainder of the patient's mouth to prevent contact with saliva or other contaminants which would disrupt the veneer-tooth bonding surface. Such isolation is normally carried out by careful prepreparation of the site including liberal use of rubber dams, cotton rolls, etc. Moreover, the dental veneer is small and very thin in size and thus is extremely fragile prior to fixation. The veneer must therefore be handled carefully during L trial fitting to prevent contamination of its concave acid etched surface. In practice, isolation of the installation site is normally the responsibility of a dental assistant, while the dentist normally concentrates on handling and fitting of the veneer, primarily handling the veneer with the index finger and thumb.
After trial fitting, the dental veneer is removed from the patient's mouth and the bonding agent is applied typically to the interior concave surface of the veneer. The dental veneer is then seated in place upon the prepared patient tooth. A light curable bonding agent such as a resin responsive to selected visible light spectra is popularly used, since it permits final fitting adjustments by the dentist without concern for premature curing of the bonding agent. When a final fit is achieved, the dentist applies a source of the selected light spectra to the veneer to cure the bonding agent and thereby permanently fixate the veneer to the patient's tooth. In practice, this curing step normally requires several applications of the visible light spectra due to the shadowing effects of the dentist's fingers holding the veneer in place.
The foregoing procedure for dental veneer positioning and fixation unfortunately tends to be difficult, tedious, and time consuming. The dental veneer is small and fragile and can be permanently damaged if dropped. The small size of the veneer makes it difficult for the dentist to obtain a clear view during trial or final fitting. Since existing dental instruments are not designed for easy handling of fragile dental veneers, the dentist must hold the veneer in place by fingertip pressure or the like during fitting, color verification, and curing of the bonding agent, but this effectively blocks a portion of the veneer from the dentist's view in addition to delaying the desired rapid cure of the bonding agent. Current use of surgical gloves by dentists and assistants to avoid personal contact with patient body fluids results in significant compounding of these problems. Indeed, while most dentists agree that wearing of gloves is essential to avoid contact with patient body fluids, many dentists nevertheless do not wear gloves during fitting and handling of veneers thereby exposing themselves to patient body fluids.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for improvements in the handling and installation of fragile dental veneers, to permit rapid and accurate veneer fitting and fixation while improving the visibility of the veneer and the installation site throughout an installation procedure. The present related advantages.